Founded in 1974, the award-winning Centre is the largest public 'green tourism' centre of its kind in Europe, and over  75,000 people visit the Centre each year. It's a fascinating place and after a visit you can get to be really smug as you cycle away on your environmentally friendly bike.

It's in its 27th year now, the aim is to save resources and eliminate waste and pollution. Six families actually live at the Centre which has its own reservoir, water supply and sewage system, and uses renewable energy sources, windmills, wind and water turbines, solar energy and biofuels.

Access to the Centre is also environmentally friendly, using a water-balanced cliff railway. The railway is a pioneering project in its own right and an excellent introduction to the realms of sustainable technology. Instead of a steep climb up to the displays, you can sit back and take in the magnificent view as you are lifted to the top station. The railway has two carriages linked together with a steel cable so that when one goes down the other is pulled up. Each carriage has a water tank at the front. When people need to go up or down on the railway a computer controlled system allows water to flow through a pipe into the tank in the top carriage until it is heavy enough to pull the other one up and they are then allowed to move. To stop both carriages accelerating up and down and crashing, they are slowed down by a system that stores the energy of braking by compressing gas in cylinders. This energy is then used to pump water back up the hill.

As you walk around the site you can discover many aspects of how we can improve our relationship with the earth's natural resources, working with natural processes rather than exhausting them.

• If environmental living is your interest, check out the Self Build House and the Low Energy House, where you can find out about energy conservation

• For those wanting to reduce the environmental impact in their own homes, there are displays that take you through the secrets of solar water heating (with a variety of different panels being demonstrated).

• If gardening is your field then there are extensive and very different gardens to walk around, growing everything from artichokes to azalias and using a variety of organic methods. You can find out about permaculture and organic growing, composting and pest control.

• There's a smallholding with many different animals and the Centre has its own reservoir and water supply as well as its own sewage systems. In fact this aspect is one of the Centre's most famous - pioneers in the use of composting toilets and reed beds. Make sure you contribute to them when you go.

• Many of the displays also have applications and implications in developing countries.

Transport of people and materials is confined to non-pollutant bicycles (or just use your own), water turbined-charged electric vehicles and a hand-operated steel track railway.

Definitely worth a visit if you're environmentally conscious - and we all should be.

Centre for Alternative Technology
Machynlleth
Tel: (01654) 705950

Information and photographs The Centre for Alternative Technology

Of interest to cyclists is the transport display, showing the best and worst examples of today's transport systems - try and resist from offering better examples - and there's a glimpse of the vision of the future too.

 
Further information www.cat.org.uk